Electrical automatic fire-extinguisher for buildings



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. W. H. SOLEY. ELECTRICAL AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER FOR BUILDINGS.

Patented Oct. 13, 18 91.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

W. H. SOLEY. I ELECTRICAL AUTOMATIC FIRE EXTINGUISHER FOR BUILDINGS. No. 461,087.

v R 3 kw kww m 1 Hu 5 3 m V 3 7 W t I W M 3 v R w M? t n. H

WITJYESSES Floor.

First Floor,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM I-I. SOLEY, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRICAL AUTOMATIC FIRE-EXTINGUISHER FOR BUILDINGS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 461,087, dated October 13, 1891.

Application filed January 17, 1889. Serial No. 296,616. (No model.)

'of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrical Automatic Fire-Extinguishers for Buildings, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accoma side elevation of Fig. 1.

panying drawings, which form part of this specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a suitable automatic device, controlled by an electrical circuit, which can prevent any water from entering the pipes, but which in case of fire operates to turn on the water from the main and forces the Water into the pipes and through the building as required, as will hereinafter be fully described.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of the automatic electrical device. Fig. 2 isaperspective view of the automatic electrical device, showing the valve open to allow the water to enter the building from the main. Fig. 3 is a modified form of Fig. 1. Fig. at is Fig. 5 is a view showing the entire system of piping with the thermostats and the automatic electrical devices in place for operation on two floors of a building.

G is a lever pivoted at m, with an adj ustable weight A upon it, said weight being adjusted by a thumb-screw y.

H is a rod which opens the valve 1. Attached to said rod is a pin J, said pin being insulated from said valve-rod.

C is the magnet, and D the armature. Upon the armatureD is a catch or latch K to hold the lever G in a perpendicular position until released by the electrical current.

L and L are electrical contact-points.

WVire No. 1 is the wire running from the thermostat and connected to the pin J on the valve-rod H, said wire being the positive wire from the battery.

Wire No. 2 connects the electrical contact L to the magnet. I

Wire No. 3 runs from the magnet and connects with the negative wire of the battery.

Wire No. 4 runs from the electrical contact L to the electrical automatic device cont-rolling the valve on the main pipe.

cuit. P, P, P and P are the automatic electrical devices, controlling the valves to allow the water to enter the pipes N, N, N and N R, R, R and R are the sprinklers and may be situated eitheron the under side of the pipe, as R, or on the upper side toward the ceiling, as R. The sprinklers thus can be made to throw the spray of water toward the ceiling and also toward the door, thereby getting double the efiect. S is an electrical battery.

In Fig. 3 is shown a modified form of the automatic electrical device. It may be desired not to use such a strong electrical current as might have, to be used in the former device. 'I'o obviate this, I have used two weighted levers, one more heavily weighted than the other. The smaller weighted one operates the larger one. Referring to Fig. 3, when the thermostat is acted upon by the heat and the circuit completed the current passes through the thermostat to the pin J on the valve-rod H, which is against the electrical contact L. The current then passes from the electrical contact L through the magnet, attracting the armature D down to it, thereby releasing the weighted lever B, causing it to fall over againstthe springcatch D thereby releasing the weighted lever G and forcing it against the valve-rod H, and thereby opening the valve of the pipe. The electrical circuit is now broken and remains so until closed by the action of the heat on another thermostat. The wire No.3 passes from the magnet O O to the battery.

The operation is as follows: Supposing the fire to originate under or near the thermostat O, the action of the heat on the thermostat closes the circuit, it being connected to the positive line of the battery. The current passes along the wire 1 to the pin J in the automatic electrical device P and through the electrical contact L to the magnet. The magnet then draws the armature D down to it. The catch K releases the lever G, causing the lever G, which is weighted by the weight A, to fall and force itself against the valverod H, forcing the valve-rod back. The insulated pin J oncthe valve-rod G is thus forced against the electrical catch L, thereby making the circuit again complete. The current passes along the wire No. 4 and to the insulated pin on the valve-rod H of the automatic electrical device V, situated on the main pipe M, and from the pin J of the automatic electrical device V the current passes through the electrical contact L, through wire No. 2 to the magnet C and 0, drawing the armature D down against it, thereby releasing the smaller lever B, which operates the larger lever G, causing the larger lever G to fall and force the valve rod H back and allow the Water to enter the main pipe. The wire No. 3 from the magnet C and C of the device P and V is attached to the negative line of the battery. As the fire increases and proceeds as far as the thermostat O the 'action of the heat on this thermostat will again close the circuit and operate the automatic electrical device P in the same manner as in the automatic electrical device P, and so on throughout the whole system, the object being to have the circuit so formed that the action of the heat on any one of the thermostats will close the circuit, open the valve of the small pipe, and at the same time open the valve on the main-line pipe and allow the water to enter the building and to be used at the point of the fire.

The thermostats, automatic electrical de vices, and sprinklers are to be so arranged on the electrical circuit and piping that they will operate so as to act on the fire at any local point without destroying or flooding any place except at or about where the fire exists.

Instead of using automatic electrical devices, as shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 4, on all the pipes, the automatic'electrical device shown in Fig. 3 can be used on all the pipes.

I do not limit myself to the exact system of piping, as many difiierent arrangements of pipingcould be used without departing from my invention.

Having now fully described my invention, What I claim, and desire to protect by Letter Patent, is

'1. In an electrical valve-opening device, in combination, a source of current-supply, a thermostat in electrical connection with said source of current-supply, a rod, as H, at.- tached to the valve, an electro-magnet, a catch upon the armature of said magnet, a

' weighted lever, as G, adapted to be held I10l mally in a perpendicular position by the catch,an insulated pin, as J, upon said valverod, electrical connection between said pin and the thermostat, and electrical connection from the magnet to the source of currentsupply, said rod being in the line of travel of the lever G when the catch is released.

2. In combination, a maiuline pipe or branch pipe, a source of currentsupply, a thermostat in electrical connection with said source of current -supply, a valve on the branch pipe, a rod, as H, attached to the valve, an electro-magnet, a catch upon the armature of said magnet, a weighted lever, as G, adapted to be held normally in a perpendicular position by the catch,an insulated pin, as J, upon said valve-rod, electrical connection between said pin and the thermostat, electrical connection from the magnet to the source of current-supply, said rod being in the line of travel of the lever G when the catch is released, contact-sprin g, as L, electrical connection between said contact-spring L and the magnet, avalve-opening device on the mainline pipe, and electrical connection between the valve-opening device and the contactspring L.

In testimony of which invention I have hereunto set my hand, at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, this 13th day of July, A. D. 1888.

WVILLIAIWI H. SOLEY.

\Vitnesses:

RIcHD. S. CHILD, J12, JNo. H. KNIGHT. 

